What Is The Life Value Of An Animal?
The mere fact of quantifying the value of an animal’s life tends to repulse us, especially when we are talking about our pets. Yes, we are right to feel bad about this idea, because the value of life, regardless of species, should not be calculated in financial terms.
However, this practice is carried out in many places and under many circumstances. It does not only occur when purchasing pets, especially if we talk about the food industry or if we analyze the legislation in force in our countries.
Next, we’ll propose that you do a reflective exercise that isn’t always pleasant. However, as we will see, debating the value of an animal’s life is a necessary step to continue advancing towards a more just and egalitarian society, with laws that recognize animal rights.
Animals as chattels: can a life be objectified?
The laws of several countries still understand animals as “movable property” that belong to an owner. Among other things, this allows animals to be subject, for example, to joint ownership contracts, mortgages and judicial lien. In this way, an animal’s life can be monetized according to the law itself.
Currently, a proposed modification is being discussed that gives companion animals a special legal status, which would legally recognize them as beings endowed with sensitivity. However, one of the main problems is that your text only includes pets.
Therefore, the life of a wild or ‘farm’ animal can continue to be objectified and monetized under the legal figure of movable property. In fact, this status deprives our pets of any cognitive or emotional faculties, which means that their integrity and well-being have little or no legal relevance.
Compensation for accidents or negligence: how to determine the value of an animal’s life?
Another controversial aspect of some regulations is that they contemplate the right of an owner to legally demand compensation if their pet has an accident or is the victim of negligence in a veterinary clinic, for example. In these cases, it is always important to have pet insurance.
Logically, in order to maintain its claim rights, the owner needs to meet some minimum conditions established by law. The first is to check if the animal was wearing a collar and was accompanied by the owner at the time of the accident.
However, our focus is not on the requirements for claiming damages, but on the parameters for assigning a value to it. When we talk about an animal that will probably have sequels for the rest of its life, how do you calculate a sufficient amount to “compensate” for the loss of its quality of life?
In such cases, an indemnity is usually claimed to fully cover the expenses for its treatment and rehabilitation : an amount that includes the expenses for veterinary care, medications and the care that the animal needs to receive.
But what if the worst happens? When an animal dies as a result of a driver’s recklessness or a professional’s bad practices, what is the value of that life so suddenly and brutally reaped? In administrative and legal terms, the compensation must correspond to the price paid for the acquisition of the animal.
Penalties for Animal Abuse: Are the Fines Enough to Compensate the Damage?
In Europe, animal abuse is legally recognized as a crime, which can lead to imprisonment from 15 days to two years, depending on the country.
However, in practice, it is unlikely that a person will serve a prison sentence for a report of animal abuse. The majority of criminals comes out after paying a fine or community service, especially if they have no criminal record.
Is a simple fine really effective in combating animal abuse? Regardless of the amount, a financial sanction is far from being able to repair the physical and emotional damage caused to an animal’s organism and life.
But what is most alarming is that the fines have no educational function. That is, they do not generate a real impact on the understanding of the individual who deliberately harms another living being, nor do they generate any contribution to the population’s awareness of the importance of respecting life, in all its forms and species.
